it's understood gary cohn disagrees with the president about his plan to impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. mr trump has also welcomed the possibility of a global trade war. it is the latest in a series of high profile departures from the white house. the us state department has formally confirmed that it believes the north korean government used the nerve agent, vx, to assassinate the half brother of north korea's leader, kim jong—un. kim jong—nam was attacked at malaysia's main international airport in february last year. british chemical experts are working to identify the substance blamed for poisoning a former russian spy and his daughter. the kremlin has denied any involvement — and accused the media of trying to demonise russians. the british foreign secretary has called russia "a malign she was one of the youngest stars in an oscar winning movie six year old maisie sly, who is deaf, played the lead

in the silent child which took home the statue for best live action short. the film is about a young girl who lived in silence — until a social worker taught her sign language. now there are plans to make the story into a full length feature as the bbc‘s colin patterson reports. a star is born. six years old and profoundly deaf, maisie sly has now played the main role in an oscar—winning film and seems to be pretty unfazed by all the attention. just tell me about your day at the oscars. i felt happy, just tell me about your day at the oscars. ifelt happy, ifelt just tell me about your day at the oscars. i felt happy, i felt really happy. the macro -- the silent child is about a deaf girl struggling to communicate as a family don't want her to learn sign language. it was made ‘stars of her to learn sign language. it was made ‘ stars of the show

made by two former stars of the show hollyoa ks. made by two former stars of the show hollyoaks. it won best live—action short. maisie sly was up on the balcony at the oscars with her mum while her dad watched nearby with family and friends and this was their reaction. the silent child... after midnight, the winner made her entrance. and as for what's next, well, maisie sly could return to the role. there are plans to adapt the silent child dwarf full—length feature. absolutely extending the film is what we like to do next. we asked her what she wants to do next and she said she wants to do some colouring. which i think is a much better answer. gold colouring? she will be doing a lot of pictures of oscars. now on bbc news, the travel show. this week on the travel show, i'm in norway, because i've heard of what must be one of the world's

most unique music festivals, where the stage and the instruments are made of ice. so, i am taking the chance to head off from oslo to bergen on a musical journey on one of the world's most spectacular railways. i'm going to look deep into norway's roots, trying to get a sense of how this country's landscapes, culture, and society are brought to life by its music. at first, i start my trip in norway's capital of oslo. and on the oslo waterfront, a reformation has been taking place. a big part of that was the spectacular building, the oslo opera house. it celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and is a symbol of this city's commitment to the arts. so it is a perfect place

to hear some traditional norwegian goat horn. playing horn. that is so good! thank you! it is amazing that such a variety of sounds come out of such a simple instrument. yes, it is quite simple, as you see. it is a bone, and it is a goat's corn, all at the wrong way, this way. actually, it was not made for making music. the shepherds had it to keep the and bears away. so this was a warning. this is not pretty music! yes, not many melodies are written down, as we know, but some. would you say there is something unique riding through norwegian music, and waiters come from?

nature gives me a loss of power and a lot of inspiration to make music. we are quite isolated. people can work with their own thing, like this. still, there are people who do this, try to make their own voice. so i am about to head off through the country to bergen, listening to music along the way. is there something i should be listening out for? is there something should be paying attention to? try to find some folk music, some singers, and also go to small clubs. look for the small spots. there are people working all over the place. so now i have my mission, there is a train to catch. joining me for the first

part of my trip isjan, why did you write this big long book all about this railway? the bergensbanen is iconic in norway and in europe, i think. many people know the name and know what they will see when the come here. along its 308 miles, the trend never gets challenging but starting to rain. —— but stunning terrain. at its peak of over 1200 metres, it is one of europe's highest railways, before it descends steeply into norway's second city of bergen. this elemental landscape pose a huge challenge, and an engineering triumph for those working on the rail during its construction, between 1894 and 1909, with about 20 people thought to have

died in the process. at a time when norway's independence was always on the horizon, the construction of the bergensbanen was more than an added convenience for travellers. this line connected the east and the western part of norway. before that, people had to go around and take boats by the sea, or small horse roads, through the mountains. so the trends were opening at norway. the construction work was darted in 1898, and at that time, we were administrated by sweden, and they did not like this at all, because they thought it could be used for military purpose. so this is a sign of norwegian strength, that maybe was not an approved of? you could say that. so in a way, this is a symbol for the founding of the norwegian nation. yes. all this makes it special.

you can't find this in other lines. this is what norway is. as jan reaches his stop, i settle in. three and a half hours from oslo, i pull into this town. but it is not my destination. this town usually features the ice music festival. but on a go upwards, almost 500 metres higher, to the new home of finse. you really feel and see it in the air.

it is cold here. and it is this cold, the icy conditions and the elevation, that led explorers like shackleton to train here before going on there at expeditions. word is it will reach a low of —23 celsius tonight. so i should rug up. what makes this festival extra special is that the instruments are actually made on the day, from nearby ice. among the line—up this year is everything from ice horns to ice drums, and ice didgeridoos. the concert is only hours away, and here you are making the instruments. this has to be an unusual thing for a musician. for me it is not.

for most musicians it is. good sounding ice is the most difficult part. you cannotjust go to your freezer. you cannot go to the next lake. ice is like wine — there are good years and bad years. so why ice? what inspired this festival? it is nearly 20 years since the first time i tried ice. and i found the sound so fantastically beautiful. with this water, you can drink it after the concert. or what we can do is give it back to nature, where it belongs, and also, the ice reminds me that we need to treat ice so gentle not to break it — it is like how we should treat nature. why is this happening in norway,

in particular, aside from all the ice? one of the reasons we can do this in norway is that we are very lucky that we have for many years at a government that wants to support music. this makes it possible for a musician like me, who works with contemporary improvised music, to survive, it allows me to experiment. what is this? this is an ice—aphone. the sound is phenomenal. do you like it?

that is lovely. any chance i could have a go? very carefully. i promise you. and i promise i will also will demonstrate no ability. you may as well have given it to a child. absolutely. it works? this is great! but one of the biggest challenges are putting on this festival is the construction of the venue itself — an ice concert hall. and this professor oversees the construction. he and his students have battled conditions for six days to create a solid structure.

each day's work has resulted in disaster. we started with plan a and ended up with plan y. because every day, you know, it is like you're climbing wall, slippery, and fall back down again. next day you start again. but that is how it is and that is the challenge. you need to work with the forces, because you can never beat them. when we work with them, you know, it is like having a good friend. it seems like your team is working very, very hard. good luck. we will see how it works out. we just need to see how it goes. we have some hours left. so as evening approaches, the finishing touches are fast being made around the site.

i really like it because it is kind of the sound of nature. so it doesn't sound like anything else you have ever heard. so people are really surprised when they hear it for the first time. you don't get to practise, so the music gets made on stage in front of the audience, and that is really special. many people are like, what, is this possible? that is critical. i guess there is a lot of folk music on it. it is very nordic, with the ice and the snow at the cold winters. just in the nick of time, we gather for an evening of ice music. that was amazing. that was such a

bonkers soundscape. all those drains sound that were building into this big crescendo were made from ice. it is also a really interesting way to experience norway with a full moon overhead. it is freezing cold. i am freezing cold. it is time to head the next morning, the festival continues without me. travelling on this stretch of the line, you start to appreciate the vast landscapes this country has to offer. and i can't imagine a better

way of experiencing them than this. music reaches its crescendo. well, my train‘s arrived at its destination, but my musical journey across norway is not yet finished, because i am in bergen, a cultural hotspot and a great way to experience the rich musical heritage of norway. she plays allegro molto moderato from grieg's concerto in a minor. edvard grieg, possibly

norway's most well known and loved classical composer. here in bergen, set among woodland alongside a vast lake, a museum to grieg has preserved and restored the grounds where he once lived and worked. you can see now we will enter the house and this is the main entrance. this year will be a milestone for the man, as it will be 150 years since he wrote his famous piano concerto. he really was a very much appreciated composer in his lifetime. we know that in great britain for example, he was one of the most popular living composers in his time. the second part of the 19th century was going together with all of this national movement in norway

and norway was, by then, a country together with sweden with one king living in sweden, and he found very young and fresh style and i think that built upon those dance rhythms and folk music elements in his bigger compositions. he looked upon folk songs as something universal. they survive from generation to generation and if you slip through the borders, you can find the same elements in folk music. and some of that folk music that inspired grieg can still be heard today. and one of the best ways

to experience it is with dance. dance company frikar performs contemporary dance all the way around norway and beyond that's inspired by nature and traditional norwegian folk roots. they have agreed to come and show me some of the traditional elements found in norway's halling dance. the dance is mostly sort of a show—off dance. 100 years ago women also did that dance. it is mostly boys or men doing the dance because we want to... we want to impress the other men 01’ women. put your right foot in front of the left. sidewards. believe me, this is harder than it looks. and if you jump a little on each step, one, two.

yes. nice. and then around. but i think i am getting hang of it. one, two, one, two. and then we can move down here. no! so what is the relationship between the dance and the music? maria plays the hardingfele, it's our national instrument. some people say the fiddle, the music came because of the dance and some say it was the other way. i think they depend on each other. for me and for many it is very important to use the music dancing and the music makes me want to do suddenly some steps and everything. it is life. nothing planned, it is just happening. nice! back in the old days they used the ceilings to kick down a coin

orjust kick their heels. they kicked the ceiling? the houses were smaller back in those days. in the 1800s, the military started competitions to try and kick a hat from a stick and it was about who could kick the highest. and then it was incorporated in the halling folk dance. so we do it as a part of the dance and, of course, it must be a good kick and the higher it is, the better it is. everyone in norway, i think if i say halling they say kicking the hat, that it is the main goal in the halling. but the dance is the main goal, kicking the hat is sort of topping it. finally, i wanted to get a sense of where all of this is leading.

a former meat factory a short walk from the city centre serves as a gig venue and melting pot for artists of all types in the city. this creative hub is home to the studios of electronic, jazz, hip—hop and many other types of musicians, including royskopp, and it is where much of norway's future music is being thrashed out. these days, especially, there is some new mixing of old, old traditions with very new electronic and experimental music. kjetil has a studio here and

plays saxophone in tonight's gig. tonight, we are playing with a guitar player. it is electro—acoustic folk, jazz, experimental, ambient something, you know. the bergen scene, i think it has a lot to do with the size of the city. only a few people play every kind of thing so you have to collaborate. ifeel like i have rediscovered this place through its music. it is a country constantly inspired by nature of epic proportions. it treasures its traditions, but is not afraid to look forward. where artists are free to experiment and supported as a crucial part of norwegian society

and where distinctive sounds can be found in the smallest of communities. if the bergensbanen showed me norway's muscle, its music has shown me its heart and soul. hello again. yesterday it felt like we have two very different seasons. it was a cold one in scotland. you can see the blue colours on the charts here and temperatures struggled to get much above freezing. contrast that with temperatures in the south. we didn't feel too bad. we didn't have that kind of weather in scotland. over the hills of scotland yesterday brought another slow day with big queues on the central belt motorways across higher path. this note is just about hanging on across higher path but otherwise it has cleared out of the way. there are a few

showers for the early risers, but for many of us, it is a cold start through the day. quite a chilly one and the risk of a few icy stretches out and about. all highs to the south—east because we have a area of low pressure coming from the channel. it could be really quite extensive and perhaps more extensive than this across wales and south—east england and potentially slower to clear as well. it should get out of the way by the time we get out of the way by the time we get to the afternoon with the sunshine coming through. there will be showers across north—western areas. showers late in the day, writing south—west england. for many of us, cloud will break up and we will see sunny spells at times through the afternoon. coming up in scotland, highs of six degrees in aberdeen and edinburgh, so not as cold as it has been. big ajump in the weather forecast. thursday was meant to be dry, but not any more. this band of rain across england and wales. if the precipitation is heavy

enough, it might even turn wintry for a time enough, it might even turn wintry fora time in enough, it might even turn wintry for a time in the midlands but that is uncertain. showers across the net —— north—west. temperatures ranging from six to 10 celsius. looking at the charts at the end the week, most of us will have a quiet day on friday, a lot of quiet sunshine. cloud will thicken through the afternoon and we will start to see oui’ afternoon and we will start to see our reeks of rain right here, moving on into wales in central southern england towards the end of the day. look this but what about the week in question mark is turning milder. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley.

our top stories: donald trump's top economic advisor resigns, in a dispute with the president over his threats of steep import tariffs and a trade war. the state department confirms that north korea used the nerve agent, vx, to kill the half—brother of kimjong—un, in malaysia last year. british chemical experts are working to identify the substance blamed for poisoning a former russian spy and his daughter. the kremlin is denying any involvement. the british foreign secretary says has called russia "a malign and disruptive force. " and the muse behind the masterpieces. a new exhibition in london takes a close look, at the woman who inspired some of picasso's greatest work.